To win a team trophy five years in a row and be in a position to do it a sixth time means navigating the treacherous terrain of recruiting high schoolers, something my colleague Kyle Bratke (aka Dadke) rightfully calls a fascinating industry.

But with the exodus of Luke Pletcher and Kollin Moore to graduation, not to mention the transfer of 2019's #1 recruit in Greg Kerkvliet, Ohio State has been forced to turn a page. We all knew this year was coming, but it will soon be upon us (COVID permitting). Spirits are still high in Columbus thanks to the consistent strength of their recruiting, which we'll get to in a minute.

Targets: Penn State | Iowa | Oklahoma State

The purpose of these articles is to discuss recruits who have already announced their verbal to whichever institution we are focusing on, and also shed some light on areas of need and future prospects they might need to target. For the Buckeyes, that means talking about Paddy Gallagher and Seth Shumate while also examining what weights they should be going after the hardest.

These are being broken down into light-, middle-, and heavyweights, with us awarding a level to each area of need for the teams we examine. As of writing, they have one commit from 2021 in #7 Gallagher and one from 2022 in #4 Shumate.

The Last Decade In Buckeye Recruiting

From 2011-19, tOSU reeled in a recruiting class with an average rank of 4.78. They weren't featured in these most recent 2020 rankings (mostly because Echemendia was viewed as a 2019 graduate, because he was) so if we conservatively give them a 26, that drops to a 6.9 average over the last decade. They had the #1 class in 2019, but Kerkvliet transferred out and Jordan Decatur did not qualify for NCAAs in his true freshman season.

Three separate times they had the #2 ranked recruiting class. That would be 2011, a group that helped them win their first national title in 2015. The second time occurred in 2014, when they brought in three-time champ Kyle Snyder and Micah Jordan, who placed three times and made a final. The most recent was 2018, though Jaden Mattox is no longer on the team and Alex Felix transferred out.

I highlight some of those misses not to downgrade the job they've done recruiting to Columbus, but rather to show that there is much that goes into college wrestling and recruiting is but one component of it. On the other end of the spectrum, the 2013 group was ranked ninth but would be re-ranked much higher because Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan became four-time All-Americans. And the 2015 class had Myles Martin and Kollin Moore but were only ranked sixth.

Lightweight (125-141)

Level of Need: Threat Level Midnight

2020 Signees: Anthony Echemendia (Sunnyside, AZ)

Current 2021 Verbals: None

2021 Uncommitted Targets: #34 Braxton Brown (Allen, TX); #39 Andre Gonzales (Poway, CA)

If we deemed Penn State a "Threat Level Midnight" for their need of a 125 then it's only fair to ring the five-alarm fire bell for Ohio State in the lightweights as well. It is not as though they are without reinforcements at 125, as Jacob Decatur is a redshirt freshman and would have two more years left if he ascended to the spot after Malik Heinselman graduates. And at this point, unless a big-time transfer emerges, it's going to be Heinselman for the next two years. But there's a reason they were a finalist for Stevo Poulin and are in on both Braxton Brown and Andre Gonzales, not to mention that Richie Figs is still considering Columbus to be his home. At this point, there's not as much 125 talent in the Class of 2022, so this is something they almost have to address with the crop of rising seniors.

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The situation at 133 is a little in flux. Jordan Decatur was the #5 recruit out of the Class of 2019, but has a redshirt available and didn't qualify for NCAAs as a true freshman. Then there's Dylan Koontz, who's small for the weight but still placed fourth at CKLV. Lastly, there's Dylan D'Emilio with four years of eligibility left but may not be able to make 133 for an entire season. The 2022 class isn't quite as thin on 133s as 125s, but it just seems unlikely the Jesse Mendez / Ryan Crookham / Nic Bouzakis / Jordan Williams group will all be able to hold weight like that for the next 4+ years.

Then there's 141, which we should learn a whole lot about this year. The options seem to be Echemendia, Quinn Kinner, and D'Emilio. So they should have the bodies, but Kinner may not want to go from 157 this season back down to 141 once Elijah Cleary graduates. They could go Echemendia/Sasso/Kinner in some order at 141-157 for the next three years, but they're also likely going after Jesse Mendez hard, which could mean there could be some weight bumping depending on how they view the Indiana native in a post-Sasso world.

Middleweight (149-165)

Level of Need: Nah they're good

2020 Signees: Bryce Hepner (St. Edward, OH)

Current 2021 Verbals: #7 Paddy Gallagher (St. Edward, OH)

2021 Uncommitted Targets: #2 Shayne Van Ness (Blair, NJ); #43 Luka Wick (San Marino, CA); #68 Vinny Zerban (Civic Memorial, IL)

If you read the Ohio State depth chart article, you know there's a lot of moving parts in play here. Will Sasso eventually move up? Is Echemendia a 141 or 157? Same with Kinner? Can Hepner be the long term answer at 157? Will Paddy live up to the hype?

I mentioned Mendez for the lightweights, but there is, of course, a chance he grows into being a '49 in college. Then they'll be after Van Ness until he signs his NLI, and I think he's going to be a 149 at the next level. I'm not sure I see Wick or Zerban winding up in Columbus, but that's the beauty of recruiting, you never know who's going to make a jump in part because they feel comfortable on your campus.

Between sophomore Sasso, Hepner, and Isaac Wilcox entering their redshirt year, and Gallagher coming in next year, they look to be good here. But they do need to identify which if any of these guys can make 157 for multiple seasons.

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Upperweights (174-285)

Level of need: It wouldn't hurt

2020 signees: None

Current 2021 Verbals: None

2021 Uncommitted Targets: #5 Cael Valencia (St. John Bosco, CA);  #30 Nate Schon (Selinsgrove, PA); #40 Cole Deery (Malvern Prep, PA); #41 Brandon Hoselton (Prairie Central, IL)

If you're stack ranking these weights in terms of need, 197 is at the very bottom. They've got two more years of Chase Singletary, plus a year of Gavin Hoffman if need be, before #4 sophomore Seth Shumate moves just a few miles to his dorm at Ohio State. I know tOSU is on Hoselton's list, but I think he and Shumate are both 197s so likely only room for one at the inn.

Then there's 174, which appears poised to feature blue-chipper Carson Kharchla for the next four seasons. Of course, there's a chance Kharchla stays at 165 and Paddy Gallagher becomes the 174, but either way they're covered. That doesn't mean they're out on Cael Valencia, but if he winds up in Columbus then they've got a surplus and good problems to figure out.

Then there's heavyweight. The expectation is for transfer Tate Orndorff to hold down 285 for the next two years, meaning the 2022-23 season is when they need a guy after him. That could be Gavin Hoffman in his senior year, or two years of Nick Boykin, a Greco star coming to Ohio State from the OPTC. They were on the school lists of both Cole Deery and Nate Schon, but Deery is getting serious football looks, so Schon might be the safer bet, especially considering the other schools on his list. Pitt and Rutgers seem to have long term solutions at the weight, and he could potentially lose starting years based on who's at Penn and NC State.

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Last (or first, actually), is 184. They've got Rocky Jordan for three more years, which means the targets are in the 2022 and 2023 grades. There's a chance Shumate stays down at 184 and Hoselton becomes their 197, but I'm not betting on that. Valencia could also grow into a 184, but he's looking like a 174 right now. There's also Jake Evans from in-state Elyria at #42 on the 2021 Big Board as an option at 184.

But I'm betting they're all in on a rising junior. Rylan Rogers is obviously the best of the crop, but he could also easily grow into a 197 and they've got some stiff competition from schools with pre-existing relationships. Which puts them next looking at Dylan Fishback of in-state Aurora, who as a 160lb sophomore could very well grow into a 184, especially after a redshirt year. Andrew Donahue of Wyoming Seminary could also be an option. He's from Ohio, but was runner-up in single class Indiana at 182 as a freshman and then won National Preps this past season at 170.